Fillers

Ellicott City | Columbia | Annapolis, Maryland | 410-715-9205

Fillers

As our face ages, one of the tell tale signs of aging is the loss of facial volume, a condition referred to as “facial deflation”. We lose that cheeky fullness that characterizes a youthful look. We also lose elements of our skin including hyaluronic acid, collagen and elastin. These can leave us with a more hollow and sagging look and contribute to visible lines and wrinkles in our face. Fortunately, now we have treatments to better address this aspect of the aging process.

A number of new injectable filler agents have become available in recent years that allow us to restore some of the missing volume and give a more youthful appearance to your face without surgery and with minimal down time. Among the most popular of these fillers is Restylane.

Restylane® is a safe and natural cosmetic dermal (skin) filler that restores volume and fullness to the skin to correct facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds and marionette lines around the mouth. Restylane is made of hyaluronic acid, a natural substance that already exists in the skin and other soft tissues so the body tolerates it well.

Restylane maintains its shape using the body’s own moisture. The hyaluronic acid in Restylane is hydrophilic or “water loving.” As hyaluronic acid gradually degrades, each molecule binds to more water and over time, the same volume can be maintained with less hyaluronic acid. This ability of hyaluronic acid to bind to water is what helps provide results lasting about 6 months.

Voluma® is another hyaluronic acid product which is the first such product to be FDA approved for volume replacement in the deeper fat compartments of the midface to replace volume loss in this area. People in our practice like the bit of “cheeky fullness” that can be restored with this product. It also seems to last for one to two years and is a very nice addition to the rejuvenation one can achieve with injectable materials.

Lyft® is a similar hyaluronic acid product to Restylane but is used for deeper filling of lines and depressions.

Juvaderm® is a different hyaluronic acid product which, like Restylane can be used to fill in lines and wrinkles. Some prefer this preferentially to enhance lip fullness because of its smoothness.

There are a lot of nuances about using these products. Our doctors have a wide range of experience with these and have been using fillers for many years. They can help guide you as to which product is best for you.

About Us

Dr. William Kanter and Dr. Mitchel Kanter are Board Certified Plastic Surgeons serving Ellicott City, Columbia, Greater Baltimore, Annapolis and surrounding Maryland communities. They specialize in cosmetic (aesthetic) plastic surgery of the face, breast and body. They offer a wide range of cosmetic operations as well as injectables, laser and minimally invasive treatments to help you enhance your image.